LINCOLN TAKES TOP SPOT ON AG COMMITTEE

News Date September 15, 2009

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), a moderate southern Democrat and rice farmer’s daughter from Arkansas, took her place as chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee this week.  Lincoln takes over the agriculture committee following the departure of the former chairman, Sen. Tom Harkin, who moved to chair the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP).  In the committee’s 184-year history, Lincoln will be the first Arkansan and first female ever to serve as chairman. 

In this new role Lincoln will bring a different perspective to the committee on a number of issues, particularly on climate change legislation and on commodity payment limits. 

Congressional observers have closely watched a number of moderate Democrats—including Lincoln—during debate on cap and trade legislation this year.  Lincoln has advocated a go-slow approach to climate change legislation, indicating that she does not believe the Senate should act on the issue this year.  As the agriculture committee is one of several Senate committees with at least partial jurisdiction over a cap and trade legislation, Lincoln will now have a bigger role in that debate.   

Lincoln, along with a number of other farm state Senators from the South, has also resisted efforts to further limit commodity payments.  The Obama administration earlier this year proposed to trim commodity payments as a way to reduce federal spending.

Also this week, Lincoln announced that Robert Holifield will serve as the committee’s Staff Director.  Holifield is the former Deputy Chief of Staff at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and served as Lincoln’s senior agriculture policy advisor from 2000 to 2007.

After the death of former Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Chris Dodd considered taking over as chairman of the health committee, deciding instead to stay at the helm of the banking committee.  In comments last week, Harkin left open the possibility that Dodd would take over the health committee next Congress, while Harkin would resume his previous position as chair for the agriculture committee.  (By: Preston Asay, Policy Contact: Nathan Bowen)